Be Strong, My Boy
by Yodanskinator
Summary: This is the story of a lone mother from Lothering, whose life seems to fall apart ever since the lost battle of Ostagar. Read of the hardships she has to face, how she raises her children in spite of the Blight and how her little family affects the villagers' and the qunari prisoner's lives.
1. We Will Always Love You

My life had been an exciting one in itself.  
I do not mean adventures as you may perceive them, travelling, hunting and the like.  
No, the most exciting part about it were my children. They were the brightest beacon of my life, the peak of my story at the time.

When Edward and I received our first child, Eric, we knew it was time for us to settle down in the village my parents had raised me in: Lothering.  
We watched him grow, watched him learn, and when he was ten, his sister Allison was born.

There was always a glint of happiness in Edward's eyes whenever he saw us together as a family, but at some point I noticed how it began to fade.  
One day, he was simply gone, without a note or a hint as to why.  
Allison was but a year old at that time, but Eric was well aware of his father missing.  
The hope in his eyes broke my heart when I promised him that Edward would return, even though I knew he never would.  
Our neighbours thought he would have left me for another woman, seeking to relive the times when we were travelling. But that wasn't like him. I knew he had missed the adventure, even I did sometimes, but he would not have left his family for that.

My children and I were alone ever since, and I had to raise them by myself, without a man protecting us.  
But I was not afraid, for I could tell whenever there was trouble, and I knew how to avoid it.

I remember the day when Eric and Allison, fourteen and four years old by then, went off to visit the Hawke family. I didn't fear for them when they went alone. Eric was old enough to avoid any danger and our dog Barry would keep an eye on especially Allison.

I was doing the laundry when a knock sounded from the front door. It was Leliana.  
"Hello, Leliana," I welcomed her and added jokingly, "you just missed the children."  
At that she chuckled, shaking her head.  
"As much as I love Eric and Allison, I came to see you," she responded, "how are you, Liona?"  
A smile formed on my lips. No one would ask for my well-being, except for Leliana and the Hawkes.

She told me that I need to get some fresh air and talk to others more often, lest I turned mad.  
I didn't mind staying at home, though, I was content with my children and the peaceful silence when they were out with Garrett.  
But I still considered her advice.

Later that day, Eric came to me with our dog. "Mother," he said to me with tearful eyes, "I think Barry is sick. He vomited blood and collapsed when we were playing."  
Barry was laying on the ground, unable to stand, huffing and whining.  
"Do you know what happened?" I asked while I stroked him and Eric shook his head. "But a few days ago when we were playing, he suddenly took off and I couldn't find him. He behaved strange ever since he came back." I noticed him fidgeting while he told me so.  
"Where did he go, Eric?" I asked sternly, knowing he was hiding something from me.  
"The long bridge, we went to the long bridge!" Allison chimed in and Eric nudged her with his elbow, "we played in the woods and Barry ran away!"  
"Didn't I tell you _not_ to go to the long bridge, Eric?" I scolded and he shied away. "I'm sorry, Mother," he mumbled.  
"Anything else I should know?" I inquired expectantly and he shook his head, rubbing the tears from his eyes. "I hope so."

Upon further examination I noticed bite wounds on Barry's left hind leg. Unsurprisingly, they looked too recent to be scars, but at the same time too old to be fresh. He had been either bitten by a dog or a wolf, though I assumed the latter to be the case.  
"Barry has been injured," I stated and raised an eyebrow at Eric who stammered, "I- I'm sorry, Mother, I didn't want to tell you, you would have hated me."  
I sighed and cupped his cheeks. "Eric, I am your mother. I might be angry at you and scold you, yes. But I could never hate you."  
I sent Allison into her room to play so I could talk to Eric alone.  
"Barry is dying, Eric," I whispered, "he might have got an infection through his wound."  
"It was my fault, wasn't it?" He sobbed. "I should have listened, Mother, I'm so sorry."  
Shaking my head I wrapped my arms around my crying son in an attempt to calm him. "It wasn't your fault, Eric," I reassured him, "you couldn't have known. Be strong, my boy."

After some time he calmed and was watching over Allison while I brought Barry outside to end his suffering.  
Somehow I could tell Barry knew what I was going to do, so we lay there in the grass, relishing our last moment together. I sang to him while I was caressing him and feeding him herbs to put him to sleep. "You have always been a good boy," I whispered soothingly, "thank you for protecting us."  
As his breathing became lighter I pulled out a dagger. "We will always love you," were my last words before I plunged the blade into his neck.

Before I went inside I glanced towards the highway in the distance where the children had been exploring and noticed a humanoid figure standing there. I squinted my eyes in order to focus and see it better and I saw what looked like horns protruding from its head. It simply stood there facing me, as if it had been watching me the entire time.  
I took a deep breath, balling my hands into fists, and headed inside, locking the door.


	2. Kost

"Mother, why didn't Barry come with us?" Asked Allison as we were walking through the village. I forced a smile when I looked down to her, telling her that Barry was on a journey. "Where did Barry go?" Was her next question and I told her he had gone for a long adventure.  
And when she asked me if he would come back, I hesitated. "Of course he will, darling," was all I could manage to say.  
"I hope he has fun," she commented after a moment of silence, "adventures are always fun! Just like last time when Barry fought the Dread Wolf!" And I halted.  
"Dread Wolf?" I asked and she nodded agitatedly. "Like in the story you told us! It was a big black wolf with spikes on its back! It was so scared it ran away from Barry!"  
I frowned. Did Allison really see such a wolf or was it her imagination?

After our errands were completed Eric came to us with bread in one hand and a sack of coins in the other. "This is what I got back, Mother," he said, handing the sack to me. "Bread!" Allison exclaimed. "I want to eat!"  
Eric rolled his eyes and tore off a loaf to give it to her while we were walking home.  
At some point I realized Allison was not walking with us anymore and I turned around to see her in front of a round cage.

"Mama?" She asked when I approached her. "Can we give the man something to eat, too?"  
Her eyes were watching me expectantly for a response as she pointed towards the qunari in the cage. He watched us silently, his monotone expression not faltering as I eyed him suspiciously. He looked unhealthy and too thin for a qunari warrior.  
"Did you ask if he needs it?" I asked, my eyes not leaving his.  
"Do you want bread?" Allison turned her attention to him and held out the loaf in her hand, getting no reaction from him. She asked again and poked him even, but he did not answer.  
As she opened her mouth again to say something, he interrupted her, "Parshaara. I do not want it."  
I frowned and asked Allison to give me her loaf, before shoving it into his hands through the cage. "You need it," I said sternly and commanded him to eat, "mashev."  
Surprise flashed through his face for a second, before he squinted his eyes and complied. "Na'thek. Thank you."

"What did you say to him, Mother?" Eric asked me curiously on our way home. "I told him to eat."  
"Why didn't he take it from me?" Allison pouted. "Do I have to say that, too, next time I give him food?"  
My eyes shifted down to her when she mentioned feeding him again, but I kept silent.  
"M-ma. Mashi. Misho." Allison practiced repeatedly until we arrived. Then she forgot all about it and ran inside to play with her doll.

"Are you alright, Mother?" Eric asked by my side and I forced myself to smile again. "I am, honey," I said, kissing him on his forehead.  
"But why are you crying?" He wiped away a single tear that had been rolling down my cheek. No words needed to be said as my son took me into his arms to weep on his shoulder.

The evening, however, was not so eventful.  
I brought Allison to bed and spent the rest of the time with Eric.  
"Mother, did you know that the qunari killed a whole family with his bare hands?" He broke the silence and I looked up from the sweater I had been knitting. "Do not believe the gossip unless you have seen it with your own eyes, Eric."  
But he shook his head. "He even admitted it himself," he insisted, "he wants to be in that cage."  
"Then he regrets it," I said, "such an honourable man deserves to be free again."  
"And you believe that?" He asked me unbelievingly and I nodded. "Qunari admit their faults and would even go as far as to end their lives willingly."  
"Can we free him?" He asked and I shook my head. "Eric, we both know that is a crime."  
"Maybe Leliana can talk the Revered Mother into freeing him? Come on, Mother, maybe he can protect us. And he will get to eat your delicious meals!"  
"Eric," I said with a reprimanding tone and he went silent.  
"Can I talk to him more?" And I nodded.

I realized not long ago how cold I had been throughout that day. I had not been myself then, but my past self. Showing kindness, but not admitting it. And more importantly, being overly suspicious and careful and I did not know why. Maybe it had to do with the loss of our dog. Maybe that was my way of coping with it, because I had to stay strong for my children. Or maybe I was trying to put the pieces together. The wolf and the horned figure? Maybe I sensed some kind of connection and most of all, _danger_.  
Was Leliana right perhaps?, I wondered. Was I truly turning mad?

* * *

 **Kost** \- Peace  
 **Parshaara.** \- "Enough."  
 **Mashev.** \- "Eat."  
 **Na'thek.** \- "As you wish."


	3. The Blight

"Mother! Mother! Look what I learned!" Eric came running to me with a pick in his hands. "I can pick locks now!"  
I knew where this was going.  
"Don't tell me you want to free the qunari," I said suspiciously and he began fumbling with his hands again. "You can try Eric, but he will not move an inch." Before he responded, I cut him off, "and no, I will not be there to convince him to come with us."  
"Aww." His head sank in disappointment.  
"Come here," I said and pulled him onto my lap, "I know you feel sorry for him, but he chose his fate himself."  
"But I want to bring him food every day," he insisted and I nodded with a smile, then kissed him on his forehead. "We can visit him right now."  
And he sprung up with delight as Allison rejoiced on the other end of the room where she had been playing.  
They ran into the kitchen to collect food and water while I was standing up from my seat.  
I looked out of the window, from where I had a view of the highway and saw that figure again, surrounded by others. That was my cue to bring hidden daggers with me, in case they got too close. But to my relief, they were walking away from the village and towards the forest that was at the end of the highway.

"Hello, Ser Qunari, we brought you food!" Allison greeted the prisoner and showed him what she herself had made for him. Two slices of buttered bread on top of each other, with sausage in between.  
"And water!" Eric added agitatedly, offering him a bottle.  
"I do not want it," he growled. "But you need it!" The children said in unison and I smiled. He was more compliant this time, taking what was offered to him and thanking the children.

As we walked towards the Chantry I heard the villagers whispering about us. "How can she let her children near that monster?"  
"He killed a whole family and they reward him with meals?"  
Allison was singing, and Eric didn't notice them, which was good.  
I was trying to ignore the nasty remarks, staring right ahead as they were not worthy of the attention, but inside I was boiling.  
When I sent the children inside I turned around, facing every one of them and they hushed.  
"I will not have you talk about my children like that," I said with a stern gaze, loud enough for each of them to hear, "while they are acting more as an example than any of you gossiping adults."  
With that I turned around swiftly and entered the Chantry.

"Welcome, my lady," I was greeted by Ser Bryant at the door, "it is nice to see you in the village again."  
I smiled and nodded at the templar. "Nice to see you, too, Ser Bryant. How have you been?"  
"I have been well, my lady," he answered politely with Allison playing with his hand and Eric trying to lift his shield he had given him, "although I cannot speak for the rest of us. Many people have come here to seek refuge from the Blight."  
"The Blight?" I asked, blinking, and he nodded. "I could not believe it myself, but many refugees here are either wounded badly or sick from the Blight and there is not much we can do for them."  
"How do you heal someone from the Blight?" I asked and he shook his head. "You don't. You can just make their lives easier with potions to ease their pain. But we can't prevent them from vomiting blood. It pains me to see them that way."  
Realization dawned upon me as I thought of Barry. He had encountered darkspawn and become sick.

"Are you alright, my lady?" He inquired when he noticed the shock on my face. I nodded, avoiding eye contact. "Y-yes, I am."  
"If you need protection, I can send some of my men for patrol," he offered but I declined. "You have enough problems to deal with, do not worry about us."  
"Are you sure, my lady?" He asked and I nodded again.  
Eric had been looking back and forth between Ser Bryant and I by then, worry on his face.

Bryant's gaze shifted behind me and he apologized, turning his attention to a group of what seemed to be adventurers consisting of a human woman and two men, one Dalish and the other a human.  
The Dalish seemed to be the leader of the group as he was doing most of the talking.

The human man was watching Allison still dangling from Bryant's arm, before he sent me a smile when I called and hushed her.  
"We are Grey Wardens," the Dalish announced and Bryant shook his head. "I would not say that out loud, whether you really are a Grey Warden or not," he advised, "according to Loghain you have betrayed the King and deserted the battle at Ostagar, and he has set up a bounty on every Grey Warden in Ferelden."  
"Loghain was the one who betrayed the King!" The human intervened and the woman rolled her eyes. "They do not care, Alistair," she commented as Bryant tried to stay neutral.  
"I do not mean you any harm," he said, "but please keep your quarrel with Loghain to yourself, we have enough trouble as it is."  
"The refugees will be the least of your problems when the horde cleans this village off of the map," the woman remarked nonchalantly and Eric's gaze met mine.  
I was about to leave before the children heard any more of the conversation, but stayed as it had already ended.  
Ser Bryant apologized to me and offered help again and I waved it off. "I will manage it on my own," I said, "have you seen Leliana around?"

We were on our way to the tavern where Leliana would be as Eric said worriedly, "Mother, maybe we should free the qunari."  
But I was too stubborn to listen.

"Liona!" Leliana greeted me with a hug. "It is so nice to see you out of your house once in a while!"  
I noticed the daggers on her back. "You are armed," was my sole answer, "are you leaving?"  
"I believe so," she said, her expression revealing regret and sadness, "do you remember my vision I told you about? It is time for me to leave."  
At that Eric groaned and Allison began to cry. Leliana hoisted her up into her arms and hugged her. "I'm sorry, honey," she said, "I promise I'll see you again."  
"Will you go on a journey with Barry?" She asked. "Mother said he will be coming back, too."  
Leliana threw me a questioning glance, but assured her she would be back when her quest was over.  
Eric avoided to look at me.


	4. Please Be Safe

"Mother, Auntie Leandra has left." Eric came to me a few days later with a note in his hands.  
He handed it to me with his shoulders slumped and his gaze towards the ground.

 _Dear Liona,_  
 _I am sorry to tell you that we are leaving._  
 _Carver came home from Ostagar and was badly injured. He said they had lost the battle against the Darkspawn and that the horde was marching north._  
 _It will not be long until they attack Lothering, so we are on our way to Kirkwall to stay with my brother Gamlen._  
 _I am terribly sorry to leave you like this, I wish we could have taken you with us._

 _We all love you. Please be safe,_

 _Leandra_

When I looked up I saw Eric's tearful expression. "Why don't we leave, too, Mother?" He asked, shaking, and I tried to keep a steady face.  
"We can't afford it," I choked out and hugged him tightly as he wept in my arms.

"Mama, Mama, Mama," Allison shouted as she was jumping around the room, "we need to visit the qunari! Look, I made him lunch again!"  
I sighed, massaging my temple. "Not now, darling, Mama isn't feeling well right now."  
"Fine," she pouted as she was heading for the front door, "I'll visit him myself then."  
Right then, Eric jumped up and held her wrist. "We can't go without Mother, Ally," he scolded her, but she fought against him, insisting on going.  
After a while she gave up and stomped into her room.

"Do you need something, Mother?" Eric asked as he approached me in my chair and I shook my head. "I'll make you tea," he offered and I sighed. "I can make it myself."  
"Mother, why don't you let me help you? You clearly need some rest!" He protested and I shook my head wordlessly. "Go to bed, Mother, I'll bring you tea."  
After a while I complied and went to bed and Eric brought me tea thereafter.  
"This will help you sleep," he said and kissed me on my forehead, just like I used to do.  
"Go watch your sister," I said, "I'll be fine." And he left the room, giving me time to think until I fell asleep.

I awoke to nothing but silence. Stretching and yawning, I got off of the bed and took the cup with me to bring it to the kitchen.  
As I entered the empty living room I was asking myself, why is it so quiet?, until I looked out of the window.  
My cup fell from my hands and shattered on the ground when I saw Allison running towards the highway, followed by Eric whose screams were muffled by the walls, barely audible.  
Atop the highway there stood the horned figure Allison was waving at.  
I ran into my room, collecting daggers and a bow with a few arrows, before I shot outside, trying to catch up to my children as quickly as I could.

"Hello!" I heard my daughter yell as she came closer. "Have you seen Barry?"  
Not fast enough, I thought to myself, and quickened up my pace as much as I could, shouting for my daughter to stop.  
I tripped, my bow flying out of my hands, and as I tried standing up, I was suddenly pushed down.  
A low vibrating laugh emanated behind of me and I was yanked around to see a creature so vile it made my whole skin crawl and all of my hairs stand on end. It was humanoid, no more than the size of a dwarf, with a bald head and an abnormally big grin plastered on its face, revealing rows of sharp foul teeth.

My daughter yelped and Eric screamed her name.  
"No," I growled, raising my voice with each word I said, "I will not let you take my children from me!"  
And I shot up, darting towards the darkspawn and catching it by surprise as my dagger landed in its neck, carving deep into its grey flesh.  
As I unsheathed my other blade I saw a taller darkspawn raising its sword, but I quickly dealt with it before it could fulfill its blow.  
"Let me go, you bastard!" Eric cursed as he struggled in another's grip. It was about to carry him up the highway, but the moment it turned its back on me, it made a fatal mistake.  
Holding my right dagger by the top of its blade, I aimed and threw, the blade sinking smoothly in the back of its skull, causing its grip of my son to ease as its body fell to the ground, unmoving.

When Eric was free from its grip, he rushed to me and together we sprinted up the highway.  
The darkspawn with its horned helmet was standing there with my screaming daughter in its grasp, laughing at me. I saw a flash of light mirrored on the knife's blade it had taken out, its grin becoming ever so broad as I halted. "Please don't," I begged, but before I even finished my plea Allison's cries stopped, replaced by gurgling.  
Tears filled my eyes as I watched my little girl bleed out from her throat, her arms falling limply to her sides and life leaving her tearful eyes. "No," I whispered, faintly aware of the darkspawn's roaring laughter bellowing, "no!"  
Through blurry eyes I saw darkspawn approaching us from both sides, which my mind couldn't register from the shock. The sounds around me were muffled as I fell down to my knees as if in trance, staring up at the darkspawn that was still holding my daughter's lifeless body.

I could hear Eric's screams, but I couldn't understand a single word.  
I felt sticky hands clutching my shoulders, dragging me back. Eric was in my view, taken by one of the darkspawn, yelling and struggling against its grasp.  
I felt something hit my head and his eyes widened as I fell to the ground.  
The darkspawn that had held me came into my view, raising its sword slowly, ready to strike me down.

And I heard his voice. Oh, my boy. "Leave my mother alone!" Was all I heard before the light faded and I was enveloped by darkness.


	5. Destiny

"Mother? Mother, please wake up."  
"It will take a while until she awakes, boy. Why don't you go out and play like the child you are, shoo!"  
I heard groaning. "She's awake!"  
Slowly opening my eyes I was confronted with Eric and the woman from the Chantry. "Mother!" He exclaimed and rushed to my side, taking my hand.  
I looked around in daze, taking in my familiar surroundings. It took a long moment for me to fully come to my senses and realize I was in my room.  
"There you are. 'Twas not an easy feat keeping you alive," the black haired woman remarked and I thanked her.  
"Oh, do not thank _me_ ," she said, "had it not been for your boy I doubt you would have been alive at all."  
When I asked what she meant a smirk crept upon her face while Eric was looking down in shame.  
"Your son has proven to be quite the talented mage," was her response and my head snapped toward Eric.  
I looked at him in disbelief as he fumbled with his hands, mumbling an apology without daring to hold my gaze.  
I cupped his face in my hands, forcing him to look at me and planted a tearful kiss on his forehead. "There is nothing to be sorry for, honey."  
"There is!" He insisted, shaking free, "I am a monster and I let Ally die!"  
"Now, now, boy," the woman interfered, "you can hardly be responsible for the death of your sister and your magic is nothing to be ashamed of."  
"I am! I took Allison out to feed the prisoner when Mother was sleeping and then she ran off on our way home to find Barry," he admitted and I bit my lip.  
"Now _that_ was very stupid of you, yes," the woman agreed bluntly, but I cut her off, taking Eric into my arms, "Do not listen to her, Eric. You are not at fault."  
"To some extent he is and he should know it to learn from his mistakes," the woman criticized and Eric freed himself again. "She is right, Mother. I am not a little child to be coddled anymore."  
My eyes wandered down as I let their words sink in.  
"If that is all, I will be leaving now," the woman said, "the Warden has much to do and he will surely need me."  
"Thank you for everything, Morrigan," I heard Eric say while he was holding me with his arms around my shoulders, and she left after they bid their farewells.

Eric had tended for me throughout the day, comforted me and cried with me.  
While he was doing the dishes, I sat in the living room, staring ahead silently. "We have errands to run, Mother," he said, coming from the kitchen, "today."  
I gave him a short glance and nodded, my gaze wandering to the ground.  
"Please, Mother," he pleaded, taking my hands into his and I saw his tearful eyes boring into mine, "do not break now. Allison might be gone, but I am still here and I need you now."  
I caressed his cheek, my lips forming into a sorrowful smile as I wiped his tears away. "We both need to be strong now, don't we?"

It had taken almost all in my power to drag myself to the village, but with Eric by my side I still had some energy.  
"Your daughter is not with you." I hadn't noticed we were passing by the qunari prisoner until he had spoken. Standing still, I did not bother to turn around to face him. "She is dead," I answered monotonously.  
"Asit tal-eb."  
My hands balled into fists. Even though I believed in destiny, I could not bear him commenting on my daughter's death like that. "Fazha thrin," I hissed, before I continued walking again.  
"Shok ebasit hissra. Meraad astaarit, meraad itwasit, aban aqun. Maraas shokra," I heard him say after me, "panahedan, Tamassran."  
When sorrow seemed to almost take over, I felt a hand brushing mine. Looking to my side I saw Eric smiling at me as he squeezed my hand, reminding me that he was still there.

After arriving home he asked me, "What did the prisoner say?" I sighed and leaned back in my chair.  
"Allison's death was meant to be."  
Stroking my hand he questioned, "Was that what upset you so?" And I nodded.  
Suddenly he paled. "Mother," he panicked, pointing out of the window. I followed his gaze and saw the figure of the darkspawn on the highway again.  
"Oh, him," I huffed humourlessly, "he does that every day."  
"Do you mean you have seen him before?" He gulped and scooted closer to me.  
"Ever since I put Barry down."  
"Will he attack?"  
I shook my head. "Maybe he's simply enjoying the view. He'll leave eventually."

Eric stood abruptly and gazed upon me with a determined look. "This can't go on forever," he grumbled, "we need to free the prisoner to protect us."  
"We don't need him," I answered sternly, "you have seen me fight. I can handle it."  
"You can't!" He fumed, his face expressing anger, yet his tearful eyes mirroring the sorrow he had been keeping inside of him. "You have been a wreck this whole time! Why can't you just accept help for at least _once_?"  
I closed my eyes, trying to contain the tears, and shook my head.

* * *

 **Asit tal-eb.** \- "The way things are meant to be." or "It is to be."  
 **Fazha thrin.** \- "Leave us be."  
 **Shok ebasit hissra. Meraad astaarit, meraad itwasit, aban aqun. Maraas shokra.** \- "Struggle is an illusion. The tide rises, the tide falls, but the sea is changeless. There is nothing to struggle against."  
 **Panahedan.** \- "Take refuge in safety."  
 **Tamassran** \- A priestess who educates the young


	6. A Part Of War

The next morning I awoke to an empty house.  
"Eric?" I called. "What would you like to eat today?"  
Silence. When I entered his room, I panicked, because he was nowhere to be seen.  
My whole body trembling, I was searching for him everywhere in the house, looking out from every window until a knock sounded from the front door.  
Walking towards it, I hesitated and took a deep calming breath before opening it.  
And there was standing Eric, a proud grin on his face, together with the qunari.  
"You didn't want to listen, so I thought I'd free him myself before first light," he said, but his smile fell from his face when he saw mine.  
As I held my hand on my mouth, trying to contain my tears, he took me into his arms. "It will be alright, Mother," he assured me and I nodded.  
Wiping away my tears, I freed myself softly and forced a smile at the qunari, welcoming him inside.  
"I should make breakfast," I said after closing the door, but Eric argued for me to sit down.  
I shook my head and headed into the kitchen and as I was preparing food, I listened in on their conversation.

"How long do you think to stay here?" The qunari asked and Eric told him we were too poor to leave.  
"So you wish to die by the hands of the Blight."  
"We don't! But what choice do we have, we can't leave!"  
"You can. Your mother is unable to fight, but you can protect her with proper training."  
At that Eric laughed. "Oh, my mother is crazy in combat. She struck down one darkspawn after the other."

"Breakfast is ready," I announced from the doorframe and they looked up from each other, before following me into the kitchen.  
We were eating in silence until the qunari asked me, "Where did you learn to fight?"  
But I didn't answer. Instead I said monotonously, "We don't talk during dinner."  
I avoided Eric's weird look and continued eating quietly.

We were sitting in the living room later that day and Eric came to me, shoving yarn and needles onto my lap, ordering, "Do something. I can't have you stare at the wall all day long."  
"Your mother is not herself," the qunari commented, "and she will not be for a while."  
"I know," Eric snapped, before apologizing immediately after.  
The man had understood that he couldn't talk to me, so he asked Eric about me. What happened at the highway, how I fought the darkspawn, skipping the part about using his magic, but where I learned how to fight Eric didn't know.

That was another matter. Edward and I had agreed upon raising our children in peace, away from any danger and corruption. So we had kept our past a secret and until our encounter with the darkspawn, Eric hadn't even known that I could fight at all.  
But the older he became, the more I saw myself in him, learning to pick locks by myself, successfully keeping secrets from my parents, and being stubborn.  
But with the Blight, I realized how naive and stupid it had been of us to raise our children that way. We should have taught Eric to fight, to be prepared for anything. To know how cruel the world could be, so that he wouldn't fall for its lies. Morrigan was right.

"A woman doesn't fight," the man argued, "it is the duty of the man to do so and protect, while she has other duties. Where is her husband?"  
I didn't dare look up from my yarn, but I could imagine Eric's incredulous face at that statement.

"He left," he said after a moment of silence and asked, "who told you that woman can't fight, they surely can!"  
"Only if she wants to be aqun-athlok, a man," the qunari answered and changed the topic, "why did he leave?"  
"Because he's a prick, that's why," Eric grumbled, "he left nothing behind, not even a letter."  
"Then he is neglecting his duties like a coward."  
Silence ensued briefly after and I looked up to see if they were still there. Eric was fumbling with his fingers again, thinking of something to break the awkward silence. I know my son.  
The qunari on the other hand didn't mind and sat there, unmoving, until he saw me watching him.

"You are like a tamassran," he spoke, "you care for the children and raise them. Yet, I do not understand why you would take arms."  
"Gender roles do not matter when you need to survive," was my answer as I turned my head forward to stare at the wall, "the enemies do not care, either."  
"Still, you have your duties as a woman to fulfill-"  
"Which I do."  
"But you failed," he stated bluntly, "and for that failure your imekari had to pay with her life."  
"No one could have seen the Blight coming," Eric interfered before the argument became too heated, "I am responsible for Allison's death, my mother is not at fault. She had enough trouble raising us alone, Ser Qunari."  
"Sten."  
"What?" Eric asked, and the qunari said, "Call me Sten."  
And so the topic was forgotten as Eric introduced us to Sten.

"You are being watched," Sten suddenly said, pointing out of the window and I almost chuckled. The darkspawn was standing on the highway again.  
It was almost humorous to me, as everyone almost panicked at the sight of the figure and thought it would attack later at night, whereas I was used to it and knew that wouldn't be the case.  
Eric noticed my expression and frowned, saying, "That's a darkspawn. It stands there every day, but it'll leave."  
"One day it will not," Sten stated, "it is waiting. Mocking you until it strikes. That is probably why it killed your daughter."  
"How do you know?" Eric asked.  
"It is a part of war."

* * *

 **Imekari** \- Child


	7. Katashok

"What are you doing?" Eric was shocked at the sight of Sten getting dressed in Edward's armour.  
"Leaving."  
"What?" He exclaimed. "You can't leave, we had a deal! You would protect us!"  
"You do not want protection," the qunari stated, "you want to die here."  
"Where will you go, then?" Leaning against the doorframe, I asked, surprised that my former husband's steel armour even fit him.  
"I will seek out the Grey Wardens," he responded, "I have an obligation I will not neglect."  
"I won't let you leave alone," I scolded and nodded for Eric to go to his room, "pack your things, Eric. We'll go together."  
At that his eyes lit up as he left the room running and I could have sworn I saw Sten almost smirk.

"I see you do not wish to die," he commented.  
"It was your plan to take us with you all along, wasn't it?" I asked smiling to which he answered, "Sataareth kadan hass-toh issala ebasit."  
"Thank you," I said, fighting my tears as I walked towards him and took his hand into mine, "we will never forget what you did for us."  
"You kept me alive when I had already accepted my death and forgotten my purpose," he contradicted, pulling his hand gently away, "so I should be thanking _you_ , Kadan."  
Smiling softly, I said, "Sataa saar ebasit. Ebsaam Sataareth ebost."  
"As you have been for me."

I walked towards the chest where Sten had got the armour from. Motioning towards the great sword that hung above the fireplace next to the chest, I allowed him to keep it as I did not have any use for it.  
Afterwards, I began packing everything I deemed important. Food, water, clothing, potions, soap, and so on.  
With Sten's help, it was done quickly and soon we were outside. I was armed and dressed in my old leather armour by then, my hair tied up so that it would not hinder me in combat.  
When I noticed Eric ogling me, I chuckled and asked him, "Never seen your mother like this before, have you, son?"  
And he shook his head, grinning. "You have to tell me everything, Mother."  
"I will," I said, kissing him on his forehead, before we set off towards the highway.

And there he stood. The darkspawn leader with the horned helmet, the one who had killed my daughter right in front of me.  
Sten seemed to notice the glint in its eyes as well, saying, "It has been waiting for this moment."  
My eyes darted around the place, searching for any traps, but there were none.  
I noticed broken crates and a wagon with a decayed ox to my left, assuming they had already attacked other people. I was also aware of the few numbers of darkspawn we were facing, as there were three. That wasn't right.  
And what I hadn't seen last time, I saw then, spotting three smaller darkspawn hidden in the shadows, ready to strike.

"You go for the warriors," I ordered Sten and he nodded, taking out his greatsword, "I'll watch your back and take out the rogues."  
Unsheathing one of my daggers my eyes didn't leave the Alpha's and I whispered to Eric, "You know how your magic works. Don't be afraid to use it."  
I felt his nervousness and nudged him.

Laughing darkly the taller darkspawn approached Sten as he let out a fierce battle cry, stunning his foes, which I used as my opportunity to take out the rogues.  
I threw a knife into one's head and immediately unsheathed my other dagger to parry another's blow before I made a quick deal of it, as well.  
Searching for the last rogue, I spotted it behind Eric as it stalked toward him. "Behind you, Eric!" I called as I sprinted at it and he turned around in surprise.  
He squealed as it was about to bring down its blade, when suddenly a ball of fire exploded, roasting the creature to its death. Looking at my son's fiery hands, I smirked, pride filling my heart. I was aware that my son didn't know what he was doing, but he had acted instinctively in a matter of seconds and survived instead of being frozen with fear, and that I was proud of.

When I turned to Sten, I saw that two of the darkspawn were still alive. He was struggling with the Alpha while another was about to land a blow, when suddenly an icicle flew past me, spiking its head.  
"Did I do it right?" Eric asked, still shaking a bit. "More than just that, honey," I answered, ruffling his head, before stalking up to Sten's foe from behind and landing a dagger in its neck.  
Our eyes met when the darkspawn fell out of view and I flashed a smile at Sten, getting a nod from him.

"It is done," he said, "Anaan ebsaam ebasit. Let us leave."  
We looked back at Eric who was approaching us, trembling.  
"It's alright," I whispered soothingly as I wrapped my arms around him, "we're safe now."  
When the shock subsided, he began to sob. "I'm afraid, Mother," he choked, pressing his head into my chest, his arms tightening around me.  
"You don't need to, honey," I assured him, "you did well. We're safe now."

* * *

 **Katashok** \- The end of the struggle  
 **Sataareth kadan hass-toh issala ebasit.** \- "It is my purpose to do what I must for those I consider important."  
 **Sataa saar ebasit. Ebsaam Sataareth ebost.** \- "The world is dangerous. You are our protector."  
 **Anaan ebsaam ebasit.** \- "Victory is ours."

 _ **Author's Note:** And that's it. Liona's story has come to an end (at least in Lothering). Her journey, however, continues in the story 'Where The Heart Lies'. _


End file.
